Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman admits the Carling Cup semi-final adventure has cost them in the Championship this season. The Eagles are unbeaten in their last seven matches but their Championship play-off hopes were dented by a late Coventry equaliser in a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night.
"The cup run has probably meant we have dropped a few points because of fatigue, that has not helped us and it has left us with a little bit of a gap from the top six but we are trying. We are getting points each week, just not enough to close the gap.
"We have paid for it, but we loved every minute of it playing away at Manchester United and reaching the semi-finals and we wouldn't change it - but it might have just caught up with us." "The teams that are already up there in the top six are established teams that have been there for most of the season," said Freedman.